Is Joe Rogan suing MSNBC? Rumor and Kamala Harris connection explained

Joe Rogan is in the middle of a fresh controversy, but this time it’s MSNBC that’s the alleged perpetrator and it’s linked to Kamala Harris’ 2024 presidential campaign.

This isn’t the only reason the Joe Rogan Experience podcaster is in the headlines this week. His latest comedy special, Burn the Boats, just hit Netflix. 

Despite shooting up to first place on the streaming service’s Top 10 TV shows chart, his set, which involved jokes about vaccines and the LGBTQ+ community, has been slammed as “unfunny.”

Amid the tumult, a new rumor has emerged, suggesting that he’s taking MSNBC to court for a large sum of money. But is it true?

What did MSNBC do to Joe Rogan?

MSNBC shared a compilation of clips from The Joe Rogan Experience podcast Episode #2182, in which it appeared the host was showing support for Harris’ run for POTUS. 

In the original video, Rogan can be seen saying, “She is a strong woman. She is a person who served overseas, twice… she was a congresswoman for eight years. She is a person of color. She’s everything you want.”

He later says, “She’s going to win.” Alongside these clips, the news outlet wrote,“ Joe Rogan predicts a Kamala Harris victory in November.”

However, this video has since been replaced with an altered version, starting with the same “She’s going to win” comment before stitching a clip in which he says, “They just want no Trump, no matter what, and they’re willing to gaslight themselves.”

In the updated TikTok, MSNBC similarly stated, “Joe Rogan said on his podcast that he thinks Vice President Kamala Harris will win the presidency.” 

But the caption also includes the following: “Correction: We have removed an earlier version of this post that incorrectly implied Joe Rogan was talking more about Vice President Kamala Harris. He was referring to Tulsi Gabbard.”

What he really said about Kamala Harris

MSNBC has been accused of taking Rogan’s quotes out of context. The unedited segment of the podcast episode shows Rogan being damning of the Harris campaign and media manipulation. 

“It all bothers me. The fragility of the human mind. Everyone forever was like Kamala Harris is the worst Vice President. She’s the least popular Vice President of all time,” he says. 

“And then in a moment, a moment in time, all of a sudden she’s our solution. She’s our hero, everybody’s with her, all these social media posts about her. Try Googling a negative story on her, you won’t find one.”

Rogan goes on to ask his guest Michael Malice, “Do you think they have her medicated? 

“Because there was a guy that was speculating that some of the things she says, the way she’s sort of disconnected sometimes, she goes on these rambles that it’s indicative of certain anti-anxiety medications. 

“I do not know if this is true. See if you could find that because we really shouldn’t say that about our future President. She’s going to win… she could win.”

Is he actually suing MSNBC?

Since the video has emerged, there’s been a claim that Rogan is suing MSNBC for $30 million, although this hasn’t been confirmed. 

Officer Lew, a self-proclaimed “independent journalist,” shared the “breaking news” on social media, writing, “Joe Rogan sues MSNBC for $30 million.

“Suit claims the news organization deceptively edited a video to make it look like he was pro-Kamala Harris when he was actually criticizing her.”

However, there are no sources or links to a full story, nor is there any confirmation of legal documents to prove that this is happening.

Rogan himself hasn’t publicly spoken about the MSNBC video or of any lawsuit, meaning it’s nothing more than a rumor at this stage. 

Tulsi Gabbard’s involvement in the controversy

MSNBC was first called out by Gabbard, the politician and former US Army reserve officer who Rogan was discussing in the first half of the outlet’s original compilation video. 

Taking to X/Twitter on Friday, August 2, she wrote, “MSNBC is again EXPOSED as a propaganda machine for the Democrat Elite, and how they will brazenly try to deceive the American people.  

“One part of the video Joe Rogan was talking about Kamala; on another part of the video, he was talking about me. 

“MSNBC combined it together to make it look like everything said was about Kamala and that he was endorsing her. Of course this is completely false.”

She went on to claim it’s a violation of the FEC (Federal Election Commission) law, by “failing to report their propaganda as a contribution to Kamala’s campaign.”

Alongside this statement, Gabbard shared a video in which she included MSNBC’s original TikTok video and accused the outlet of being a “propaganda platform.”

“They are using this in order to try to help Kamala Harris get elected,” she claims.

MSNBC hasn’t commented on these accusations, and the same can be said for Rogan, who is currently busy with the recent release of his Netflix special. 

For more on political controversies, here’s what you need to know about if Netflix donated to the Harris campaign. And if it’s entertainment you’re after, check out the TV shows coming to streaming this month, as well as the new movies to add to your watchlist.